Hawaii Dreams
by Initial A
Summary: AU. Kagome receives a mysterious postcard in the mail one day, and reminds her of the waltz that changed everything. Runner-up in Eternal Destiny's summertime contest. IK. Long-awaited ending to Ron de Jambe.


**Hawaii Dreams**

**By: InitialA**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything! Well, except this laptop. But I don't own anything else, especially not InuYasha, or anything else copyrighted in this story. (I don't even own some chips to have salsa with. T.T)**

**Author's Note: Whee!! Second place at Eternal Destiny's summer contest!! So much love, it shall be the feature story on the website in July! 3 I'm so excited, you don't even know. Anyway, for those who may remember, I had this story a long while back, about four years ago… **_**Ron de Jambe**_**. This is what I wanted to get to before I got writer's block. So, here's your closure if you read it. =3 Enjoy and please leave a review!**

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It was funny being the only Asian woman working in a Mexican restaurant, but Hell's Kitchen took all kinds without much of a second glance. Her regulars teased her while she blushingly spoke Spanish in her Tokyo accent. Three years in the States had done little to take the edge off of her inflection, but her English was much improved nonetheless. Graciela, the owner of the small restaurant, gave her some grief for mispronouncing the Spanish dishes, but it was always with a wry, 'I-know-you're-trying-but-I-have-to-save-face' grin.

The best part of closing, Kagome decided as she wiped down the last table, was when Diego poured all of the waitresses their own margaritas and chips as a reward for a hard day's work. Tequila still didn't agree with her—she admittedly missed chilled sake after a long day at the shrine—but she managed to keep up with two of the frozen treats and a split basket of chips and salsa with her fellow waitresses. Sango, the girl Kagome was splitting a cramped apartment with, met her outside after they were finished. Sango worked at the sushi bar down the block, and they usually met after their mutual closing shifts to walk home together.

The air was sticky hot, unmoving between the walls of buildings that made up the city. It was oddly comforting, this small similarity between here and home, but she was very grateful for the central air their building had installed. "This is one advantage from home," Kagome remarked aloud as the two women sighed in relief as they stepped into the lobby of their building.

"But it would rid the elders of something to whine about." Sango smiled.

They started up the stairs—their building had forgone elevators for the air conditioning—and joked how much their professors should knock off their training for how much they walked up and down them each day. Before they were even on their floor, the aroma of Miroku's cooking wafted down the stairs to their noses. Sango unlocked the door and pecked her boyfriend on the cheek. Kagome smiled at the sight of them—looking at him, Miroku didn't look like he'd make much of a cook, but Sango had chosen well to make up for her own terrible cooking.

Kagome slipped into her room while they talked, dropping her bag on the floor. It wasn't very big, by Tokyo or New York's standards, but it was home enough while she finished school. Sighing, she flopped down onto her bed; waitressing was tiring work, but her scholarship only covered so much. Really, she thought that the board was being generous as it was, but she wasn't one to complain. It was more time taken away from work and spent in the studio.

She rolled over, staring at an old photo on the bed stand. She didn't even remember why she still had it, to be honest. Her friends were at home, most of them engaged or already married, their big dreams put away for smaller, more practical ones. She wasn't sure what had happened to the guys, except for Koga—Ayame had sunk her claws into him finally and refused to let go. And she hadn't seen him since…

She shook her head furiously. She refused to think about him anymore. She used to kick herself over what had happened, but not anymore. Kagome had taken responsibility, accepted it, and moved on with her life. She pursued her dreams. She worked hard and eventually made it to America, where she won a prized scholarship from Julliard. She'd been working for this for almost her entire life, and it was paying off. Sure, she wasn't performing in any shows, big-name or not, but she would get there someday. Even if she had to keep waitressing every single day, auditioning every single night until she made it, she would.

And Taisho InuYasha would remain right where he was—a memory, nothing more and nothing less.

*~*~*

"Kagome, you got something in the mail!" Sango called the next afternoon.

Kagome stopped stretching and went to the kitchen where her roommate was sorting the mail into piles. She pointed to a small stack. "That's all yours."

Kagome rifled through the envelopes, rolling her eyes at all the credit card ads and junk mail, and paused at a postcard with a familiar-looking beach. She turned it over, and was puzzled—there was no signature, no return address, no way at all to tell who it was from. There was a single word written on the back, the handwriting sharp and clear:

_Remember._

"Who's it from?" Sango asked.

"There's no signature, no return address… I don't know," Kagome confessed.

Sango peered over her shoulder. "'Remember'? Remember what?"

She wasn't sure if she knew, but when Kagome turned the card over again, a bit of everything came back to her. And she did.

---

She was seventeen. Dancing was her life—had been, and she hoped it always would be. Yuka was on the balcony with her, staring at the white beach and the perfectly curling waves. It was the same ocean as home, but it seemed more… magical, more alive in Hawaii. "We really should be getting ready…" Kagome mumbled through her sun-drunk haze.

"Yeah… And we'll get burnt, and then Mutsumi will have our heads. Not all the make-up and aloe in the world would save us," Yuka joked.

With the threat of their instructor hanging over their heads, they went inside and roused Eri and Ayame* from their naps. The four girls made sure their costume and duffel bags were packed, and headed down to the lobby. The others were milling around, obviously waiting. Kagome's heart sped up when she caught sight of her partner, currently sprawled out on a bench and looking every bit asleep. Mutsumi was a few steps behind the girls, the last one to arrive. Bags were gathered and the crowd of teenagers started out the door. Kagome strode over to the bench and poked Taisho InuYasha on the chest. "Wake up, sleeping beauty. We've got a performance."

He grinned, eyes still closed. "Not sleeping, wench. Waiting."

"We're going to miss the shuttle. Get up," she told him.

He cracked an eyelid, still grinning at her mildly annoyed face. "Since you asked so nice and all."

In one fluid motion he was on his feet, bags in hand. She held back a wistful sigh; she'd hinted at it before, but she'd never fully admit to him how jealous she was of his talent. Everything from his body memory to the way he carried himself onto the dance floor was worth a bit of her envy. Of course, he wasn't hard on the eyes either. His silver hair was tightly braided and out of the way, and his eyes were a fierce amber color. His fangs and doglike ears were for her eyes only—she wasn't sure if she was really blessed with the spirit of a miko, allowing her to see through his disguising charms, but whatever it was, Kagome only received odd looks if she mentioned her partner's ears to anyone else.

"Oi!"

She failed to keep the blush from rising in her face as he caught her staring at him. "Something wrong, Higurashi?" A smirk played at the corners of his lips.

"Sunburn," she muttered, shoving past him towards the shuttle.

*~*~*

Three more acts.

Kagome paced nervously, making odd motions with her hands that made little sense to anyone but her. She didn't want to tire herself out by practicing it physically—she played the routine in her mind, and danced it with her fingers. She did this several times: a few at double the pace, just to see how quickly she could remember, and others at a slower beat to go over how each move should look, how perfect it had to be.

Two acts.

She was aware of others watching her. InuYasha had headphones on, probably doing the same thing in his mind as she was with her hands. Eri was in the audience with Yuka, neither of them having anything prepared for this part of the competition. Ayame was shuffling uneasily in her tap shoes: Koga was nowhere in sight.

Mutsumi's hand on her shoulder stilled Kagome's movements. The older woman beckoned to InuYasha, who promptly removed his mp3 player and stowed it. Kagome was relieved to see that there was a shadow of doubt in his eyes as well. She squeezed his hand briefly for luck; he returned it. Their instructor gave both of their shoulders a brisk pat before shooing them into the wings. Kagome felt the familiar thrill of nerves in her stomach as their names were introduced; her heart jumped into her throat, and with a quick prayer she strode onto the stage.

The music** started out slowly, a graceful beat with willowy movement. Kagome had the stage to herself for the moment; the low lights threw her into a silhouette. Her arms moved almost sensually around her body as she gradually twirled, leaped, and threw herself to the floor. The lights came up as InuYasha joined her, pulling her to her feet with a spin.

Maybe it was the way the light turned his hair incandescent that she could barely keep her eyes off him. He pulled her against him; she slid down his body and away, feeling flushed and not from the lights. They pivoted in unison, following the music's lead into twin kicks and fouetté jetés, and her eyes only left him to pivot her head around again. Her violet skirt billowed around her waist; Kagome saw his eyes on her as the music slowed again and he took his place behind her. They twirled together, mirror images, until their arms twined.

Her skin tingled as they stared at each other, sliding apart; InuYasha grabbed her hand and spun her into him. She felt his heart pounding in his chest before he lifted her for the toss. She was flying, literally and figuratively, as his hands slid down her sides and she spun before landing in his arms again. Kagome suppressed a shudder at the look in his eyes, and sank to the floor as he moved into his solo. His movements were smooth and hard at the same time, dramatic in the music's sorrow. She barely had two moments to catch her breath before joining him again in the grand jetés. Arabesque, arabesque; she marveled again at his flexibility, her cheeks pink from staring at the bulge of his pants. Later, she might console herself with the idea that she might be able to perform at least half as well while thinking such things.

Their dance was meant to convey the hardships of saying good-bye, but a fire desiring a 'hello' was building inside of her. She drew closer, he pushed her away. He pulled her in close, and followed as she fell away. The stage vanished as they locked gazes, mirroring the other's leaps and whirls.

The strains of music slowed for the final time, as they slowed with it; he took her hand and twirled her a final time, ending with Kagome dipping almost to the floor in his arm.

She wasn't sure if the thunder was in her ears from the smoldering look in his eyes or from the audience's applause.

*~*~*

"You made love to him," Eri declared at the luau that night.

Kagome turned a brilliant shade of crimson. "I did not!"

"If not for real, then you sure did on stage. And he reciprocated," she retorted.

Ayame nodded. "That was pure sex. If Eri and I felt it, the rest of the audience did."

Kagome wanted to drown herself in her fruit punch. Yuka patted her arm sympathetically, but Kagome could tell she thought the same thing. "We danced. Yes, it was a bit more sensual than usual, but the… the light was doing things to his hair."

Even she knew that was a sorry excuse of a lie, but the others were kind enough to let it go. They watched the hula girls for a while, letting her come down from her embarrassment slowly. The luau was a celebration for the finalists who would perform the following evening. Apparently, the 'pure sex' that she and InuYasha had danced qualified them for the duet finals. It was exciting, but Kagome was more than a little nervous about doing it all over again.

She looked around. Some of the other competitors were swimming while there was still some light. Torches were already being lit though, in preparation; the moon was hovering above the horizon on one side of the beach, while the sun was slipping below the waves on the other. Music was playing—one would think at a dance competition the participants would be sick of it, but there were a sizable number of people swinging along to the beat. There was a warm breeze; it ruffled her hair, made the torchlight dance, and scented the air with tropical flowers. Kagome started to take another drink when her wrist was grabbed and she was pulled away from her friends. "Hey!"

InuYasha paid her protests no attention. They stopped under a string of lanterns a ways down the beach. "So. Earlier," he started, letting her wrist go and crossing his arms.

"Yeah, what about it?" Kagome grumbled, rubbing her wrist.

"You can't tell me you didn't realize what you were doing," he said.

She didn't meet his eyes. "Yeah… that…"

He waited. She didn't say anything. The music changed, a slower song. InuYasha sighed, raking his bangs back. "Do you want to dance?" He asked, obviously frustrated.

Everything seemed easier while she was dancing. She nodded, taking his hand. He surprised her by leading her into a waltz; it had been a while since she'd been able to competently waltz with a partner, and she found herself relaxing. "You do this very well," she commented.

"You ain't bad yourself, wench," he smirked.

Kagome faltered slightly, and laughed herself. "This is hardly the right beat for it."

"And you're trying to make me forget what I said earlier."

He had her there. He twirled her while she thought. "You… I… don't know what happened earlier. Something came over me, and I'm not entirely sure what it means."

InuYasha remained silent. She rambled on. "I mean, you're a fantastic dancer, Taisho. I wish I had half your talent. And the light made your hair glow, and then you started moving and then—"

He pulled her in against him, his arm draped around her lower back. He played with the tie on her sarong. "And then…?" His voice was husky.

Kagome's voice caught in her throat. Her heart pounded as he lowered his lips to hers. The tide was coming in, washing warm salt water around their feet. InuYasha nibbled gently on her lower lip. Her mind raced; wasn't she supposed to melt now? Cling to him like she had no will to stand on her own? She was attracted to him but… it wasn't the right time. The mood, the setting, everything was screaming 'romantic iterlude', but… She was graduating in less than a year. She had plans. She didn't have time for a man, a relationship that could distract her and jeopardize the entire thing. It wasn't right, it wasn't… not right now…

Despite everything, the moon shone perfectly down on them. He kissed her perfectly, existed perfectly, and made everything perfect. Perfection she didn't want. It was the only thing that made her push him away, a bit of regret in her eyes, and run away down the beach. She never looked back.

---

Sango knew the rest of the story, how they'd come in third place after losing the passion that got them to the finals in the first place. How Kagome continued her studies at the studio and focused more on perfecting her auditions for Julliard instead of competing. How after graduation, Kagome received her family's blessings to buy a one-way ticket and move to America, where she stayed in roach-tels until she won the coveted scholarship and moved to New York. How she'd never gone out exclusively with anyone, despite the few straight men at school asking her on the occasional date; Sango had never known the full reason why until Kagome told her story.

Talked out, the smaller woman gave her roommate a tired smile and went to her room.

*~*~*

Kagome exited the taxi; a rare luxury for her, but her MetroCard needed renewing and she hadn't found time to get that done. She'd received a telegram that her family was in town for a visit, and they wanted to meet her for lunch uptown. She heard her name being called, and looked around. She paled, eyes widening in shock. "T-Taisho?!"

He had hardly changed. His hair was still braided; his eyes were just as intense as she remembered. He was a bit taller, and a bit more filled out. A surprised laugh bubbled out of her when he picked her up and hugged her. "Taisho, what are you doing here?"

"Well, ah…" He looked a bit sheepish. "I thought it was about time I kept that promise to your mother."

Kagome blinked. "My mother?"

"Come on inside, I'll explain everything," he said, guiding her into the restaurant.

She gathered that this was a setup, and wasn't entirely sure how comfortable she was with this. Yes, it was nice to see him. It had been three years since she'd seen him last, and technically he was the first person from home to visit her, however unexpected it might be. But things had still been so awkward when she'd left. And now, here he was in New York, somehow knowing where she lived, and treating her to lunch as if nothing had happened? He was even pulling her chair out for her! He grinned as he sat across from her. "So… Julliard. Looks like you weren't just talk, wench."

A familiar twinge of annoyance grew. It was oddly soothing. "You thought otherwise? I'm disappointed in myself, I didn't kick your ass enough," she said.

He chuckled. The waitress came and took their orders. Silence stretched over the table. Kagome stirred her water. "So… what are you doing in the States?" She asked finally.

"School. I bummed around back home for a while, but my brother wanted me to 'do something with my life'. So I started looking around; I wanted to get away for a while, and decided to take a leaf out of your book," InuYasha said, playing with his fork.

She smiled. "Where are you at?"

"Ohio State***. Their dance program isn't half bad, the party scene is decent, and it's got this weird intramural called curling. Some friends bullied me into joining. It's more entertaining after you've had a few drinks though."

"Sounds like you're having fun," Kagome said; she couldn't keep a twinge of melancholy out of her voice.

He tipped his chair back on two legs. "Eh. It's more exciting than being barked at by my brother to do something useful… So what about you, Higurashi, what've you been up to?"

She looked at him. "Tai—" she paused. "InuYasha. Let's just cut to the chase. Why are you here? And how did you get my address?"

His eyebrow went up. "Well, you haven't changed much."

Kagome sighed, and then smiled thinly. "It's nice to see you, InuYasha. Really, it is. But this is more than a little surprising. Hawaii happened, then things were awkward, and I left without any resolution. And I know I'm to blame. There was so much going on, and it wasn't fair to you. Honestly, that's the most surprising thing about it: that you even want to see me."

Their food arrived. InuYasha was quiet for a while as he picked through his chicken parmesan. Kagome felt awkward again, not only from her little speech, but from acting like such a girl with her grilled chicken salad. InuYasha spoke through a mouthful of pasta, "You're such a girl, Higurashi. Salad? It's my treat, eat something."

She rolled her eyes. "I gained a few pounds after I first moved here. My professors were hard about that and the others…"

"Fuck that," he said, wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin. "If your training is anywhere near as hard as I am, all the calories from your last three meals are done in the first half hour."

She laughed outright. She had to cover her mouth so she didn't spit everywhere. InuYasha grinned. "Alright, alright…I'll tell my story if you get something sickeningly fattening for dessert. Deal?"

She coughed, still giggling. "Deal."

He waited until she took a drink. "So… why am I here? Well, your mother, for one thing. I was getting some things together before I left, and we ran into each other. She gave me your address then, told me to look you up sometime if I was ever in the city. It was obvious she didn't know what happened between us," InuYasha eyed Kagome, who blushed. "It might go without saying, but I didn't feel like getting myself out here for love or money. You didn't seem interested, and I didn't want to get stepped on again."

Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but he held up a hand. "Anyway, I got an invite to the reception for Koga and Ayame's wedding a few months ago. It brought up some memories from the old days."

She remembered that invitation. It had come around Christmas, during finals, and she wasn't able to spare the time to go home for it. She still regretted it, but she just didn't have the money to go, even now. InuYasha continued, "It took some time for me to work up the courage to send you that postcard. I got it over spring break; I went there to do some thinking. Weird place to think seriously, but somehow it made me see a few things more clearly. I wrote it and addressed it in April. It's July now, you can see I was still nervous.

"We watched a tape in one of my classes at the end of the quarter. A study. It was your spring recital from last year. Once I saw you, I knew I had to get out here, no matter what. I sent the card, and got my affairs in order before making my way here, to the city," he said.

Kagome was quiet. InuYasha took another breath. "I don't know what made you run. I have a good idea, but that's all in the past. I'm here now. You're here now. I thought I was over you, but when I saw that video… Kagome. Maybe I should have said this years ago, but I'm crazy about you. Since that first day you refused to let me give you a ride home on my motorcycle. And if you want to send me packing back to Columbus, that's fine, but I can't stand you not knowing how I feel anymore."

She looked him. "InuYasha. I ran that night because I was scared. I had plans, I had things I wanted to do. I didn't want to be tied down. I watched my friends get into relationships and get engaged, and now Ayame's married… I didn't want that. Someday, I want it, but I was seventeen then. I was scared that you would get in the way of what I wanted."

It was his turn to open his mouth to speak, but she stopped him. "Now, seeing you here, knowing you're doing the same thing I am… It was foolish of me. I knew you were just as dedicated as I was, but I ignored that because of some silly fears of throwing away my dreams. I've regretted that for years. I've tried to put you out of my mind, InuYasha, but you're always there, lurking somewhere in the background. I'm just as crazy about you."

"If you had said anything else, Kagome, I don't know what I would have done," he said, fumbling in his wallet.

He threw down several bills, and practically dragged her out of the restaurant. She jogged along behind him, laughing.

*~*~*

Somehow, Kagome had managed to wrangle some time off from Graciela. It had probably helped that InuYasha was with her at the time; the old Spanish woman had fanned herself the whole time, and not because the air conditioning was barely working. She still didn't want to know how he'd wrangled two tickets on the next flight to Hawaii, but she was glad nonetheless. She sighed and leaned into InuYasha's embrace, watching the sun set over the beach. "I'm glad things are different this time," she murmured, tracing a pattern in the sand.

"Me too," he said.

Kagome stood, brushing the sand off of her sarong. She helped him to his feet. "You know, I… would like to try it again," she said shyly.

InuYasha grinned, and spun her so she was completely trapped in his arms. "This time, I'll be sure you won't get away," he breathed, and crushed her lips with his.

Even four years later, everything was still perfect.

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**((*In the original, Ayumi was the only one of Kagome's friends who didn't dance. Ayame did, however. I'm not grossly misspelling her name; it's actually the other character. ^w^**

****The song mentioned in this story is Diamond Crevasse by May'n.**

*****Apparently to anyone who isn't from Ohio, OSU is the college equivalent of the Yankees. I'm a heartland girl, so I had to include it. And they have one of the top dance programs in the country. And yes, they have curling. I compete against them. XD))**


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